Fenced-offed dark area?

[Pompey Monkey]

I live on the outskirts of a fairly large conurbation in the south of England where the is some, but not crippling sky-glow. Last night I think the NELM was about mag. 5, certainly not prohibiting observing.

My problem is the local light pollution: I have about 5 high pressure sodium lights in view of my garden from a nearby footpath and the school that my property backs onto also has three security lights. There is not a position in my garden where I can ever get any dark adaptation!

Because of the length of my garden and the shadowing provided by the existing 4 foot tall fence, I do not think that any of these lights formally constitute "light trespass" , but they are a real pain in the proverbial. So much so that I just can't face the frustration of trying to observe

I had the idea of building an open area with fence panels to shield my eyes from the glare and I estimate that they would need to be up to eight feet tall to achieve this. I started searching online and very rapidly found out two important "facts":

1. Commercially available fencing only seems to go to about 6 feet in height;

2. Apparently I need planning permission to go over 6 feet in height?

Has anybody got any experience in this area?

Any constructive (or even amusing) comments would be most welcome!

[mister_wavey]

portable structures would (presumably) overcome any planning issues - can you enlarge on this idea?: http://www.tulsawalk.com/projects/observatorypanels/

[ronin]

I think 6ft is the "maximum", equally go ask someone at the council offices. They can advice you and you may find that requesting 8ft is not a problem. What appears to happen here is if the request is not outrageous they ask the people either side if they would object, if everyone is OK then they allow it.

Another is ask if some - not all - the footpath lights can be turned off, they may be ameniable to switching of alternate ones. This could depend on the useage of the path and oter aspects.

Doubt there is a great deal to be done about the school but may be worth mentioning/asking, never know they might angle them down a bit.

[ollypenrice]

Something you can raise and lower would be the thing, I'd have thought.

Also if you can lower your observing site's height any surrounding fence could be lower.

Olly

[JamesF]

Something you can raise and lower would be the thing, I'd have thought.

Also if you can lower your observing site's height any surrounding fence could be lower.

Olly

I was thinking that something easily raised and lowered would be the ideal, too.  Something like a five foot high fence for instance, with a three foot hinged section on top that could be folded up.  You could probably even get away with making the corner posts the full height, so the hinged sections were retained with a sliding bolt at either end.

Or you could have a fixed half-height fence with fixings for a "wind-break" type shade that slotted into the top, with storage for the shade in a box attached to the fence.

I think the important thing is to make it as little work as possible to set up.

The permitted development stipulations for fencing is that it may not be taller than 1m adjacent to a highway or 2m elsewhere as far as I recall, so a little more than 6ft, but not much.

If the streetlights do actually shine into bedroom windows though, it may be worth a polite letter to the council pointing out that they light up bedroom windows and asking if they could be shaded.  I think it's really a question of whether the lights are merely visible from the room or actually light it up.

James

[Pompey Monkey]

I like all of these suggestions!

But I like the hinged panels the best so far.

"Raise the shields, Mr Sulu!"

[kirkster501]

But I like the hinged panels the best so far.

I am doing the same.  Next door neighbor has a rear light that is on 24x7 and we are not on speaking terms.  So I'm going to remove three 5 feet panels and put some larger ones in to obscure the direct line-of-sight.

[Beulah]

Have been watching this thread with interest.

Unfortunately the permanent hinged fence idea, although an excellent one, is not possible in my garden. 

Something I am going to try are two or three heavy parasol bases discretely kept in the observing area with the poles lying alongside. The poles are from broken parasoles with the 'umbrella' bit taken off, with a nail on top of each pole.

Washing line and black sheeting (from black black-out blinds) are hung on the poles and it only takes a few minutes to set up. (Washing line is fed through the loop where the weighted strip normally would be, if it was hung in a window.

I did this before in a previous property, but used one base and the other end was attached to a hook drilled into the house wall.

This would only work on a windless night, however.

[Starlight 1]

I use this fixed to one side and pull it out put cover on and pull the legs up done in 2 mins.

[Beulah]

That's excellent, Starlight1 from Turnipshire! Where does that frame come from? Did you make it yourself? I'll hedge my bets and say it's an ex-gazebo, Aussie style?

[Starlight 1]

That's excellent, Starlight1 from Turnipshire! Where does that frame come from? Did you make it yourself? I'll hedge my bets and say it's an ex-gazebo, Aussie style?

You are right and the two sides made the cover.

[Beulah]

Just obtained permission from my better half to butcher the one we've got.  

[Starlight 1]

when done for the night it look like this.

[Starlight 1]

Fix the top to floor end and use one of the sliding parts from post 2  fix midway you have to play abit with this one as the gate move up and down from open to close..

Making the cover from 2 sides close one end and only part way for the fixed end as the cover will not fix over this all the way down. that it ..

[webboid]

My solution to the local ambient lights was to build a temporary light shield. It has gone through several variations over the years. It is 3m square 2.1m high. Made with 75mm garden post in sockets in the grass & tarpaulins. It can be taken down but I leave it up from late autumn till early spring. No body complains & it works well. My big dob in the front only gets used at dark sites & wont fit, plus up the ladder I would be above the screen. But my other scopes work superbly well & when I am sat down the screens block the neighbours upstairs lights too.

[Macavity]

Local screening from street / security lights seems to be surprisingly effective.

Within reason, I'd be tempted to do "whatever you want" - Away from fence lines. 

Locally, people seem to add 6' panels ABOVE concrete fence bases anyway...

I regret being "suckered" into buying low fences by a neighbour who seems quite

obsessed by (OCPD) compulsion to 24 / 7 monitor my (everyone's!) activities.

Ah, the war of attrition with neighbours - A particularly British pathology sadly? 

[Fish]

My property backs onto public open space and we have had a few problems that required a visit from the police. The rule on 6ft fence panels is only for between domestic property, if you have a business \ fields \ school or whatever ,you can errect any height of fence. That is what our local police told me, but it may be down to local planning regulations so you could allways check.

[cotterless45]

Outside my shed I put down some patio slabs . On the west and south sides are 6ft fence panels. On the east side I planted a cherry laurel hedge, which has grown to 6ft. Keep trimming the sides and they'll shoot up. Cut the tops as they grow to thicken up.

On the north side, I have three holes which hold washing line support poles. These hold a big dark throw by big plastic clips .Lowering this gets polar alignment with low mounts.

This all stops direct light from our surrounding nine lamp posts, security lights and windows. It really is remarkably cosy and dark in there.

A few small holes for tripods drilled in the slabs allow mounts to be polar aligned pretty quickly.

I'd certainly recommend any screen which keeps direct light covered,

Nick.

[Pompey Monkey]

Wow chaps and chapesses!

There are some super ideas here!

I am going to be very busy this year in-between screening the garden, building my equatorial platform, re-building my old 6" newt, fixing the roof, finishing the bathroom....

[Carina Lass]

If your shield starts at 4 feet and finishes at 8 feet is it a fence?

So lets say that all day the shield is 4 foot tall And then when it gets dark you winch it up the extended posts and you have a shield.

[Carina Lass]

If your shield starts at 4 feet and finishes at 8 feet is it a fence?

So lets say that all day the shield is 4 foot tall And then when it gets dark you winch it up the extended posts and you have a shield.